Acquaint yourself with Persian cuisine

Jan. 22, 2013

Pomegranate Khoresh

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter, or ghee2 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced1 pound skinless and boneless chicken or duck breast cut into thin strips2 large carrots or 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into thin strips1/2 pound shelled walnuts, toasted1 teaspoon salt1/2 cup pomegranate paste diluted in 21/2 cups water or 4 cups fresh pomegranate juice2 tablespoons sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water (optional)In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir-fry 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the chicken and fry for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the carrot strips and stir-fry 2 minutes longer. Finely grind the toasted walnuts in a food processor. Add the salt, diluted pomegranate paste, sugar, cinnamon, and saffron water and mix well to create a smooth, creamy sauce. Transfer the sauce to the pot, cover and simmer for 40 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent the nuts from burning. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning and thickness. This khoresh should be sweet and sour, and the consistency of heavy cream. Add diluted pomegranate paste for sourness or sugar for sweetness. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with warm water. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve hot with saffron steamed rice. Serves 4.

More

ADVERTISEMENT

For Christmas, my mother gave me the new fully revised edition of “Food of Life,” the authoritative book of Persian cuisine by Najmieh Batmanglij, and since then, I’ve been doing the “Julie & Julia” thing, trying to absorb this exciting, rich cuisine into my repertoire. I’ve known the food for quite some time, having grown up with family friends from Iran, but my experience cooking it has been limited to mostly khiar, the cucumber and yogurt soup/salad/dip common throughout that part of the world.

I am convinced that were it not for all the political discord between our two nations over the past 34 years, Persian cuisine would be at least as popular as Indian food in this country, perhaps more so. Seated as it is at the crossroads of virtually every trade route of the ancient world, its cuisine has evolved with myriad traditions and intricate, balanced flavors.

There are two conspicuous absences in this cookbook as compared to most of the more than 400 on my shelf, and both result from religious prohibitions. The first and most obvious is pork, although there are many recipes that could easily be adapted, much as Spanish cuisine has done with its Moorish influences. The other is wine, and this is perhaps more unfortunate because some of the very earliest archaeological records of humans making wine comes from the Zagros Mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian, in what now is Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

The one thing that a few people will connect between Iran and wine is the city of Shiraz. Although it is quite some distance south of the Zagros, it was once a thriving wine region. It was not, as some people think, the origin of the Syrah grape, a mistake people sometimes make because that French native is sometimes called “Shiraz.” The wine made in Shiraz was almost all white, both dry and sweet, and the best of it is reputed to have come from the terraced vineyards of the now-vanished village of Khoullar, outside of Shiraz. Some who wrote of it in the 18th century compared it to a fine old sherry, and this probably was because it may have oxidized during aging.

Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, there has been a strict prohibition on wine production and consumption there, however the vineyards around Shiraz still are in production, making table grapes, raisins and Ghureh, the unripe grape juice that is key to so many Persian dishes — they do love their sour flavors.

I’ve included a Batmanglij recipe for Pomegranate Khoresh, a very popular chicken stew. As they say in Iran, “Nush-e Jan!” (loosely: “Bon Appetit!”).

Table Wine is a weekly feature of the Press-Citizen. Prices listed are estimated retail. Chef Kurt Michael Friese is co-owner with his wife, Kim, of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay. Questions and comments may be posted at www.press-citizen.com.